An Entertaining Mystery of Feudal Japan

Bundori by Laura Joh Rowland
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The second book in the series. It's a good followup to the first novel, and by the end actually improves on it. Lots to like here. I like his assistant, Hirata, and especially enjoyed the addition of Aoi; I hope we see more of her.

The author does a good job of establishing a sense of setting and helping clarify many of the nuances of Feudal Japan that would otherwise remain opaque to readers like me. Instead of cursing Ichiro Sano for not behaving the way I think he should, I am made to understand why he doesn't contradict the lies of the police and other authorities, why he doesn't want Hirata to be his retainer, why he takes the path of a martyr. Without going into the details, I can say that it makes sense in terms of the laws of bushido and the norms of the time, and as a western reader I appreciate that guidance through a world I only know a little about.

Apart from the setting, this is a straightforward enough mystery (not a criticism) and I enjoy his methodical way of solving it. Early on (slight spoilers) I began to lose patience with him being foolish and constantly a step behind, as I want my sleuths and private eyes and such types to be amazing and almost unstoppable--he is pretty unremarkable in the first half at least--and the unreasonable unreasonable expectations heaped on him while his efforts are being undermined by any number of people gets frustrating. But he ultimately shows plenty of nerve and capability and flashes of brilliance. He does get some help, and I'm glad for it, because the introduction of a helper and a love interest improves the story in many ways. If nothing else, he has someone to talk to about events, which is more fun to read than long introspective passages...

The action and my pleasure in seeing our hero behave heroically both increase a great deal in the last third of the book. The middle parts, where he is often made to look bad, are not that fun to read, but it takes off, and by the end I was entertained and engaged, looking forward to another adventure. I guess I feel like the series is building, becoming more robust and satisfying as we go, and I hope to discover I'm right in the third book.

Recommended for fans of historical fiction.

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